mobanmarketDaniel Bryan’s return to SmackDown on Tuesday will be a memorable one.
After announcing he would make his return to WWE TV on Friday, Bryan tweeted again Sunday that he would address the state of affairs on the Blue brand after James Ellsworth climbed the ladder and dropped the briefcase to Carmella to win the Women’s Money In the Bank ladder match.
Following the dubious finish, the returning SmackDown GM as well as SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon wasted no time in expressing their extreme disapproval over the duo’s win-stealing tactics.
Here are links to the tweets from Bryan and McMahon:
Absolutely unacceptable and cheap. The circumstances surrounding the Women’s #MITB match will be the FIRST thing addressed on #SDLive – @WWEDanielBryan
Absolutely unacceptable and cheap. The circumstances surrounding the Women's #MITB match will be the FIRST thing addressed on #SDLive.
— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) June 19, 2017
This is not what I had envisioned for the FIRST EVER Women’s #MITB match. @realellsworth and @CarmellaWWE just robbed the #WWEUniverse – @shanemcmahon
This is not what I had envisioned for the FIRST EVER Women's #MITB match. @realellsworth and @CarmellaWWE just robbed the #WWE Universe.
— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) June 19, 2017
Carmella’s competitors in the historic clash also did not mince words about how they felt, as Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Becky Lynch and Tamina all expressed their outrage on social media about Carmella and Ellsworth.
I didn’t come to #SDLive to play games. I’m here to be the best and represent a brand. @realellsworth is a joke and so is that win. #MITB – @MsCharlotteWWE
I didn't come to #SDLive to play games. I'm here to be the best & represent a brand. @realellsworth is a joke and so is that win. #MITB
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) June 19, 2017
I grew up in this business. I gave my life to this business. I’m not letting some no-chin freak take my #MITB opportunity away. – @NatbyNature
I grew up in this business. I gave my life to this business. I'm not letting some no-chin freak take my #MITB opportunity away.
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) June 19, 2017
If @realellsworth wants to compete in the #SDLive women’s division, he can step through the ropes anytime. I’ll be happy to break his arm – @BeckyLynchWWE
If @realellsworth wants to compete in the #SDLive women's division, he can step through the ropes anytime. I'll be happy to break his arm.
— The Man (@BeckyLynchWWE) June 19, 2017
Isn’t it wild that @realellsworth wins the first ever WOMEN’S #MITB ladder match? How does that work? – @TaminaSnuka
Isn't it wild that @realellsworth wins the first ever WOMENS #MITB ladder match? How does that work?
— Tamina Snuka (@TaminaSnuka) June 19, 2017
Bryan spoke with Fox Sports following the end of the Money In The Bank pay-per-view show and here’s what he had to say about the ending of the women’s ladder match:
I was disappointed. And I think if it were like the fifth women’s Money In The Bank match, right, I wouldn’t be so disappointed – because that’s a part of WWE, it’s a part of sports entertainment that stuff like that happens.
But I think when you build something up as far as like ‘hey, this is this really important moment for women in WWE,’ and then a man is the one who climbs up to the top and grabs the briefcase… I think that that really rubs people the wrong way and it sends the wrong message.
And I don’t have any way to gauge people’s response to that other than Twitter, which I think is not a very good metric. But it’s still one metric that we have, and so the Twitter response that I got when I was looking through it, from female fans, they didn’t like it at all. I hope we can fix the wrongs tomorrow.
(transcription by WrestlingInc.com’s Sagar Chawla)